Friday, Mar 07, 2008
The Toronto Star
Bently takes aim at court backlogs
The Toronto Star quotes Frank Addario in a story covering the Attorney General's intention to clear up the backlog in criminal court proceedings.
Attorney General, Chris Bentley, announced that he would establish targets to cut down on the number of "unproductive" court appearances, such as motions for adjournments, that are draining resources and slowing down Ontario's already strained criminal justice system. Details of the plan are to be announced in a few weeks.
SGM's Frank Addario is quoted as saying that:
"Bentley is 'doing the right thing' by looking at ways to reduce the number of steps and expenses associated with criminal cases."
"He's right, they're too expensive, they're useless and they subtract resources from things that ensure the justice system is producing high-quality results."
The province also needs to "refocus" on the issue of providing disclosure to defence counsel as quickly as possible by giving police more resources to speed up the process, Addario said.
It should also have senior Crown prosecutors manage cases in the initial stages and ensure an adequately funded Legal Aid system, he added.
